After a good night's sleep at our usual choice of motels, the Hampton Inn, we headed out in the fog on US 521 south which skirts Lakes Marion and Moultrie. The fog persisted for a long time in this low-lying lake country.

We stayed off the Interstate all the way into Charleston, at times passing through industrial sections associated with the many port functions of this seaside city. We finally arrived in the old town via East Bay Street which passed through some of the oldest sections of town. At times we were dodging pedestrians, horse drawn carriages, buses, and even rickshaws carrying two passengers being pedaled by young men in tremendous shape.

The streets of Charleston are as old as the City itself, so beware of brick and even cobblestone. The main streets are in pretty good shape, but even then you had to watch for ruts and large metal sheets covering larger holes.

We had reservations to stay right on Battery Park at the very southern tip of Charleston in one of the haunted rooms of the 1845 Battery Carriage House Inn. The ghost is said to be a well-dressed lonely gentleman who jumped from the fifth floor to his death. Today he sometimes tries to get in bed with the ladies who stay in Room 10. When they scream he politely gets up and walks through the wall.

After checking-in we took off to get some sightseeing done. We crossed the inspiring Ravenel Bridge, the largest cable-stayed bridge in the Western Hemisphere. The bridge not only allows easy flow of high volumes on traffic, but the wide sidewalks act as an exercise platform for walkers and runners. It is also the centerpiece of the annual Cooper River Bridge Run which attracts some 50,000 - 10K runners. Nancy actually took part in this race in the 1990s when the old bridges were still in place.

As you cross the bridge you get a magnificent view of Charleston Harbor and the USS Yorktown aircraft acrrier moored at Patriots Point. This was our first stop and we spent several hours touring this 1943 carrier named for the original Yorktown lost in the battle of Midway, the WW II USS Clamagore Submarine, the WW II USS Laffey Destroyer, and the 1930s USCGC Ingraham Coast Guard Cutter.

These ships offer a glimpse at what today appears as primative engineering and construction. The submarine makes you wonder how anyone could be confined to such small quarters for any length of time.

We were getting hungry as we passed through Mount Pleasant and headed out SC 703 to Sullivan's Island. As we arrived at the small coastal village we spied several local eateries, but one was packed with patrons on the deck and front yard. One way we select places to eat is by the crowd, so we pulled-into Poe's Tavern, grabbing the last seats at the deck-bar.

The burgers were excellent (mine was beef, Nancy's chicken) and they had a good selection of beer including my choice of Stella on tap. We had an interesting view of the busy main street and other patrons in the patio below as we devoured the burgers.

About a mile to the west of Poe's was our next stop, the historical Fort Moultrie. This Revolutionary War, Civil War, and World War Two fort has much to offer for the modern tourist.

The original palmetto log fort was still under construction in 1776 when British warships began hurling cannon balls at the walls. The cannon balls did little harm, but the return fire killed many on the ships and the City of Charleston was saved. The fort was named for the commander at he time, William Moultrie who would later become Governor of the State.

The fort was taken by the British in 1780 after being surrounded by ships and land forces. But the tide of the Revolution had turned in favor of the Americans and this last gasp did little to help the British.

The fort deteriorated with no garrison assigned to it, but it underwent some renovations in the last years of the 1700s. Another construction in 1808-09 saw 15-foot enclosed brick walls completed. The fort was garrisoned by Federal Troops more-or-less from this period into 1860.

It was used as a holding place for the Seminole Indian leader Osceola in 1838. Osceola died while there and is buried near the front entrance to the fort.

After decades of bad feelings between the north and the south over many issues, not just slavery, tensions ran high in 1860. Southerners vowed to secede from the Union if the Republican nominee Abraham Lincoln was elected in November. Emergency upgrades to Fort Moultrie were ordered as the election drew near. Lincoln was elected on November 6 and Captain Abner Doubleday, who would later invent the game of baseball, began the occasional firing of the 8-inch cannon into the ocean to intimidate anyone contemplating attack.

The older commander at Moultrie was replaced in mid-November by the younger Major Robert Anderson, a fateful replacement made by Washington. Fearing a land assault from southerners at this indefensible fort, Anderson secreted his troops across the bay to the unfinished Fort Sumter in the dead of night. This infuriated southerners who laid claim to Sumter. A few months later they fired on Sumter which is said to be the beginning of the Civil War.

Confederates moved into the empty Fort Moultrie and along with Fort Johnson and Morris Island Battery, began shelling Sumter. Anderson surrendered in a few days.

There are no reports of ghosts in the fort. For the most part this fortification was not heavily involved in fighting as were others in the area.

We planned to visit Fort Sumter on the next day, so more about that Fort on DAY THREE.

Fort Moultrie was used continuously to protect the harbor in various conflicts through World War II. The last troops departed in 1947. Because of its historic value, the Fort was transfered to the National Park Service in 1960.

After touring the fort we headed back into Charleston crossing the Ravenel Bridge once again. Nancy took a great photo of the arches and cables as we dodged the traffic.

We relaxed a while in our haunted room before walking into the downtown district, just a little over a mile distant. The sun was setting and the weather unusually warm for mid-march. This town is packed with history. Many of the houses and businesses are in structures dating to the 1700s. Bring your walking shoes and explore the back streets and alleyways of Charleston. Many of the buildings have plaques that date and tell a brief history of its origins.

You can even join a walking Ghost Tour which will guide you to the most haunted places in Charleston including a midnight visit to one of the oldest cemeteries. We aren't much for the slowness of such guided tours, so we just made our own. We strolled though several of the oldest graveyards. The dates in these were mostly in the 1700s. They also had something that I haven't seen before, graves with large concrete covers, some standing vertical and others laying flat over the site, that detailed the lives of those buried there. We didn't see asny ghosts, but then we weren't going to wait there until midnight either.

As darkness fell we made our way back to Poogan's Porch, 72 Queen Street, one of Charleston's oldest and most recommended restaurants. It is also touted as America's most haunted restaurant. As we approached two of the Ghost Tours were outside with guides detailing the various sightings and oddities that occurred there. Supposedly on numerous occasions people have spotted an old woman Zoe St. Amand in the second floor window waving at them after closing hours. When police arrive nothing can be found. Zoe has also been seen by employees at Poogans and supposedly thrown pots and pans in the kitchen.

There is another ghost that haunts the front porch. A scruffy neighborhood porch dog named Poogan that begged food from house to house moved onto the porch as the restaurant was undergoing renovations in the mid 70s. He took-up residence and lived there until his death in 1979. He is buried in the front yard and some say they have felt Poogan brush up against their leg as they enter the restaurant. The restaurant was named for this much loved neighborhood mutt.

Poogan's is noted for its Southern cooking and celebrity diners who frequent the place. Scenes from the 1989 movie Champagne Charlie starring Hugh Grant were filmed here. We had the Carolina Gator with honey-jalapeno dipping sauce for an appetizer. Nancy ordered the stuffed tomato while I had the fried oysters which came with collards and hoppin' Johns. The local Palmetto Lager Beer was excellent.

We didn't see or feel any ghosts, but it was worth the stop at this famous eatery.

We walked off some of the dinner on the 3/4 mile stroll back to the Battery Carriage House and our haunted room. Nancy fell asleep in the bed as I sipped on a nightcap watching for anything that might be suspicious. Nothing happened. I finally laid down and fell into a deep sleep. At about 2 am I was startled awake by something hitting the side of the bed. It was no dream and really didn't spook me too much other than really wondering if the lonely gentleman was upset because I was in his spot. Nancy, a very sound sleeper, never budged.

Nancy and I are not really ghost believers, but we have experienced some unusual and unexplanable things. This would certainly rate as one of those.